By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
On April 30, 2025, Judge Geoffrey Crawford of the United Stated District Court for the District of Vermont ordered in Mahdawi v. Trump that our client, Mohsen Mahdawi, a long-time lawful permanent resident and Columbia university student activist advocating for the human rights of Palestinians, be released from
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DHS Reverses Course, Restores Student SEVIS Records—But Future Remains Uncertain
By Cyrus Mehta
In the wake of a wave of dozens of lawsuits and emergency court orders following sudden revocations of the visas of foreign students and scholars and deletion of thousands of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without notice or explanation, which have thrown foreign students’ lives…
How the Major Questions Doctrine Can Undo some of Trump’s Policies, Including On Birthright Citizenship
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
Introduced by the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA, 142 S. Ct. 2587 (2022), the major questions doctrine holds that, “in certain extraordinary cases” where it is unclear whether an agency action was authorized by Congress, “given both separation of powers principles and a practical understanding…
Is Secretary Rubio’s Bare Bone’s Letter Deserving of Deference in Khalil’s Deportation Case?
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
On April 11, 2025, Immigration Judge Jamee Comans in Louisiana ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestine activist, can be deported. Judge Comans stated that “the department has met its burden to establish removability by clear and convincing evidence”, referring to Rubio’s letter. She also…
After Chevron’s Demise, Should Courts Be Giving Deference to the Trump Administration’s Foreign Policy Considerations When Deporting a Noncitizen?
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
The Department of State has revoked the visas of hundreds of students in recent weeks. This disturbing measure comes after the Trump administration has taken numerous actions targeting students involved in pro-Palestine protests for immigration enforcement actions in recent weeks, including the arrest of student activist Mahmoud Khalil…
A Foreign Student Whose Visa Has Been Revoked by Trump Should Still Be Able to Continue to Attend School
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
The revocation students’ visas has caused alarm and panic. Our blog advises that the revocation of a visa in the passport does not necessarily result in a violation of nonimmigrant status. The student may still be able to continue their studies at the school.
On March 27, 2025,…
Trump and Dick the Butcher Have the Same Impulse: “Let’s Kill All the Lawyers”
By Cyrus Mehta
The White House issued a memo on March 22, 2025 ominously titled Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.
The phrase “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers” is from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI said by a character called Dick the Butcher in Act IV, Scene II. This…
Challenging the Foreign Policy Ground of Removability in Defense of Free Speech and the Rights of Green Card Holders
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
On March 8, 2025, DHS arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist, and purportedly revoked his green card. Khalil was detained under INA 237(a)(4)(C)(i) that provides for the deportation of a noncitizen if the Secretary of State has determined that their presence or activities would…
Trump’s Cruel Immigration Policies Have No Rational Justification Except to Harass and Intimidate Immigrants such as the Alien Registration Requirement
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
The Trump administration recently announced that it would enforce INA § 262, which requires noncitizens aged 14 years or older to register with the government if they were not already registered and fingerprinted when applying for a U.S. visa. Children are required to reregister within 30 days of…
EOIR Policy Memorandum on Inferior Officers Opens Up Claims to Invalidate Proceedings
By Cyrus Mehta
By Cyrus D Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*
Acting Director Sirce Owen of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued Policy Memorandum (PM) 25-23 stating that, in the context of any future personnel actions and after additional review, EOIR may decline to recognize the multiple layers of for-cause removal restrictions for all of EOIR’s inferior…